BETHEL GUATEMALA — A backpacker frustrated with corruption at the border and being taken advantage of decided to make a stand today at the remote border crossing from Guatemala into Mexico. The fee at issue was very minor, only $5us, but it was principle, reports Wren Schultz, that made him refuse to pay.
Many countries charge an exit fee upon leaving their borders. Some charge this fee only when leaving via airplane and some at all border crossings. When flying in and out of a country, the exit fee is often included in the price of the ticket.
Just two days previous, Schultz, a self-styled traveler "in the know", paid $18.25us to cross from Belize into Guatemala. "In Belize, the price was clearly marked and they even gave me a receipt," Schultz reports. "The guys in Guatemala just whispered among themselves and made vague threats."
Schultz reports that the rest of his busload of mostly backpackers unquestioningly paid the fee. "The border people

Across the border, after the attempted bullying and a 30 minute boat ride

claimed that their system was down, and that is why they couldn't scan our passports or even let us talk directly to the border agent," continued Schultz. When he asked for a receipt, or to see an official form proclaiming the fee, a series of first unofficials, then officials came out to hem and haw about why neither of these things existed, and what would happen if he didn't cough up the money.
A similar $3us fee was requested at the entry point 2 days earlier, which Schultz paid, claiming he was caught off guard. But after thinking about it and hearing about other travelers' experiences, he was ready.

In the end, he got his passport stamped along with everyone else. "I think I might have also seen the border agent give me a knowing you-caught-us-good-for-you smile," Schultz said, obviously pleased with himself. The threats of accumulating a ridiculous fee for when he next returns to Guatemala will likely be shown false if he ever decides to return.
Schultz does admit that the border agents were just trying to make a buck and were actually very friendly about the whole thing.

on Wed 17th Mar, 2010 10:51 am PDTlebnjay said: hope you didn't pay the ridiculous taxi fees they try to charge to take you from that entry point into town.Are we gonna get a recap of where you have been on this trip? Headed to Palenque? We know a great archeologist there (Alanso Menendez sic) that has a little mayan designed sauna (mescal) and may offer tours of palenque as well. He has a house in that silly little tourist collection of hostels right before the park.************************on Wed 17th Mar, 2010 02:43 pm PDTDave said: I'm slightly confused.. you didn't pay $5 but you did pay $3?************************on Wed 17th Mar, 2010 05:57 pm PDTMom said: Let's not be trying any of that standing up for "principle" stuff crossing into the U.S. from Mexico--especially in Juarez. It appears they don't take kindly to Gringos talking back.************************on Wed 17th Mar, 2010 08:31 pm PDTMom said: Furthermore, I'd rather not see the continuance of this alliterative string such as "Bold Backpacker...Buried Beneath Baja "************************on Thu 18th Mar, 2010 04:53 am PDTHorge said: Seems to me like something's up buddy. First bullied in San Antone, and now again in Guatemala. Maybe wearing the same T-shirt on both occasions bearing some awful insult in Spanish?************************on Thu 18th Mar, 2010 04:54 am PDTHorge said: Also, you didn't mention where this article was published originally, besides BdW...************************on Sat 20th Mar, 2010 11:44 am PDTWren said: @lebnjay: I was part of a through trip, so no taxi. As for a recap, you'll have to wait until I see you. As for Palenque, if my serious case of las touristas subsides, I plan to head over there tomorrow.

@Dave: Correct. $5 > $3, but there is also all that stuff about being prepared, etc.

@Mom: no worries. I learned my lesson and now know it is better to avoid border checkpoints completely and will be sneaking across the border back into the US.

@George: This article was originally published in the USA Today. Didn't you see it? Oh wait, they probably don't have that over there.************************on Sat 20th Mar, 2010 01:56 pm PDTSean said: I can't wait to read about the bold back packer saving the president from terroristos while simultaneously getting the archeologist chick************************on Sat 20th Mar, 2010 03:53 pm PDTMom said: A case of Las Touristas, eh? I guess this brings up that long unanswered question, "Did the Johns Hopkins experiment in Guatemala (pre-BdW days) give you a placebo or did the experiment fail?"************************on Mon 22nd Mar, 2010 04:16 am PDTHorge said: Good question. How did that cup experiment end up? Did it help cure Montezuma's Revenge or something?************************

Belize is a country that I've never known much about, except maybe the requisite traveler knowledge of where it is and what they speak here*. I'm afraid I will leave the country knowing only marginally more.

I've chosen to spend my few days in Belize out in the Northern Cayes* instead of exploring inland where jungles, caves, rivers, etc. are found. There is just something about sandy beaches, slow Caribbean life, and ocean breezes. So in lieu of adventuring with jaguars, monkeys, and who-knows-what reptiles, I walk around, read, eat, swim, and chat up my fellow travelers. Oh, and I take some pictures too: requisite self-timer beach shot, almost spoiled turned artsy shot, beach palm, good advice that I take as often as possible, and more friendly advice.

Perhaps I will return to Belize some day to expand my knowledge beyond the Cayes. Or perhaps I will return someday to each johnny cakes, drink fresh pineapple juice, and wonder at the beauty of the Caribbean sea. They both sound pretty dang nice.

Conveying the vibe of a place—how it feels to be there—is something that is hard to do via any medium: words, pictures, even video.

Sure I could tell you that here in San Pedro, Belize there are more golf carts on the roads than cars, an equal mix of English and Spanish on storefronts, and coconut palm lined paths right on the beach. I could further go on to describe how friendly the people are, and even offer an anecdote of being helped (without ulterior motive) by 3 people within my first 15 minutes of being here*. But you still wouldn't get the full vibe of this place.

Feeling a place's vibe is a lot of what traveling is about for me. Sure I like to see the sights, eat the food, and meet the people, but all those things can be overshadowed (both in a good way and a bad) by the vibe of a place. As for the here and now, I've done found myself a place with a wonderful vibe. Now I'm going to head out and enjoy it.

Staying at a hostel in Valladolid, Mexico, I met an older traveller about whom there was a lot I admired (and aspired). His business card fancies him as an "entrepreneur, adventurer, traveler, troubador, eccentric" and from the few days we hung out, it all seemed true enough (and then some; I'm looking forward to reading the book he wrote*). At the top of his business card was this phrase: "life is short, make it wide". He also had a very well written song that said the same. I thought it was as good a quote as any to add to my Monday traveling quotes series, to be reminded, whenever I have occasion to review past posts, to do just that—make it wide.

on Tue 09th Mar, 2010 02:52 am PSTsteve said: We doing it************************on Tue 16th Mar, 2010 08:20 am PDTKaty said: Hey Wren, this made me think of you...although who but a northwesterner would honestly consider a house with no windows when the above pic is available? http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house/underground-micro-homes-part-2/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook************************

Q:What do you call someone who can speak 3 languages?A:Trilingual
Q:What do you call someone who can speak 2 languages? A:Bilingual
Q:What do you call someone who can speak only one language? A:American

Yesterday, I was complimented on my Spanish. Granted it was only after I complimented him on his English. Still, it felt good. Practicing my Spanish was one of the main reasons I chose to come to Mexico this travel season.

While I was in Japan last year, I remember really admiring my American friends' ability to communicate with the locals in Japanese. As Americans*, we don't have the multi-lingual head start that many Europeans or others have. This ability to communicate with more than just my countrymen led me to the decision to really focus on keeping up my Spanish.

Since being here, I've had two really rewarding conversations, ones where I know that I've conveyed myself well, proving to myself that, in a pinch, I can get my point across. In one instance, I saw a guy with jugglers on this shirt. I asked him about it and we ended up talking circus talk for the remainder of the bus ride. In the other case, I conducted "small talk" with a barber who cut my hair.**

In a few short days (maybe tomorrow even), I will cross the border into Belize and be back in an English speaking country. This last week, while I've proved to myself I retained more Spanish than I thought, but I didn't get as much practice in as I wanted. Luckily, Guatemala and returning to Mexico are on the agenda.

on Mon 08th Mar, 2010 11:19 am PSTRyan said: Para el malabarista:¿Son pelotas que llevas en sus bolsillos o estas alegre de verme?************************on Wed 17th Mar, 2010 07:26 am PDTWren said: The communication thing can backfire sometimes too. I went to a circus with a cute Argentinian gal the other night in Flores Guatemala and in trying to make small talk, I asked her if she had any grandchildren (nietos) instead of nieces and nephews (sobrinos). She gestured a stab to the heart before laughing as I turned beet red realizing my mistake.************************

A couple of weeks ago, I again took the stage at Vaudevillingham. For 2010, I made a resolution that I would try my hand at performing more than I have in the past. Yeah, I know that in the past I've said that I'm not a performer, and I still stand by that, but I want to be comfortable on stage and to enjoy it. The only way to go about that is to do it. Do it, do it, do it.*.

I know the video isn't great quality. I was holding out to get some clearer pictures so you could see the awesome costume Deanna and I made. You've probably all see the trick before, though. Anyway, just like with my last Vaudevillingham performance, the whole gag was in the costume/props. I was introduced as a one trick pony, was dressed like a pony, and did one trick. Get it?

on Mon 01st Mar, 2010 05:49 pm PSTChristen said: What a great audience!************************on Tue 02nd Mar, 2010 06:21 pm PSTWren said: Great audience? Great audience? Thanks, Christen. Thanks.************************on Wed 03rd Mar, 2010 02:40 am PSTChristen said: Sorry, I guess I should have mentioned you did a great job Wren :-) I just meant it's great that you can work on getting comfortable on stage with such an appreciative audience! ************************on Sun 07th Mar, 2010 06:34 pm PSTmaggie said: YAY!!! were those pants that you were wearing? as in full-length, touching the tops of your shoes pants? a whole new era has begun in the world of wren. pants wearer, stage performer, and barber shop customer. ;)************************on Mon 08th Mar, 2010 04:52 pm PSTRyan said: That was awesome! A very realistic gallop you have.************************on Wed 10th Mar, 2010 07:41 pm PSTLanae said: What Maggie said! You performed! In pants! No wonder you left the country soon after!************************

This week I am trying something new. It has been forever since I've had a guest artist for the Friday Comic series, partially because I've been having such a great time doing them. This week, as I sat down to put together the comic, a previous guest artist was around and wanted to get in on the action. My solution: we both take the same idea and each have a crack at it, working independently.

Gabriella (guest artist on previous comics such as 32, 23, and 15, among others) gets credit for the idea. Her interpretation* is on the left and mine is on the right. All in all, they didn't turn out too different, although I tend to like hers a bit more. Anyway, it was a fun exercise that we might just have to try again.

(Friday Comics is going on hiatus for a month or so as I hit the road again. Maybe I will be inclined to draw up a comic or two while basking on beaches and chasing Mayan ghosts, but I doubt it. I trust, however, that FCs will start back up again in early April, soon to be closing in on the benchmark 100th comic. Yeehaw!)

I've been wanting to check out cross-border public transportation for a long time. Over the years, I've planned out the route at least a few times, never really satisfied that it was do-able*. On our recent trip up to the Olympics, Ma and I decided to give it a try. Here's what we did.

Overall, the trip took maybe 3.5 to 4 hours, which isn't bad at all considering the walk, checking in at customs, and figuring it all out as we went. We hit all our transfers perfectly, which helped shine a positive light on the experience. It isn't exactly easy and I wouldn't go recommending it to public transit newbies, but it was nice to prove that it can be done. Hopefully in the near future, that 3 mile walk will be cut down a good chunk and this trip will be as painless* as Bellingham to Seattle.

on Tue 23rd Feb, 2010 12:28 am PSTDave said: was the return trip the same route? (i.e. was it a 7-8 hour round trip just in travel time?)************************on Tue 23rd Feb, 2010 08:34 am PSTWren said: We took Amtrak back, which took about 2 hours and was about $20 more expensive.************************on Mon 01st Oct, 2012 07:20 pm PDTWren said: Bolt bus (www.boltbus.com/) now serves Bellingham, so you can get from Vancouver to Bellingham for as little as $4.00!************************